Af Cich ID F3

FAQs on African Cichlid Identification 3

Related Articles: African Cichlids, Malawian Cichlids: The Mbuna and their Allies By Neale Monks, The Blue Followers: the Placidochromis of Lake Malawi by Daniella Rizzo,

Cichlid Identification
Malawi Cichlid ID -- 11/07/09
Hello Crew, I was wondering if you could confirm the species of Cichlid in the attached photos. I purchased them as juvenile Rusty Cichlids (Iodotropheus sprengerae). Everything I had read about them indicated they were relatively peaceful (for Mbuna), and would do well with Labidochromis caeruleus and Pseudotropheus acei. However, before I even let them out of the bag they were fighting amongst themselves; several months later as young adults (one male/two females), the largest male and female wreak havoc in my 50-gallon Mbuna tank (the other female Rusty is an inoffensive creature who has remained much smaller than her colleagues). The large female Rusty (who is much more orange in colour than the other two) was dominant until she had a terrific fight with the male -- scales flying, mouths white. Then they spawned a couple of weeks later and the male harassed her until she swallowed her eggs, and constantly beats her up (you can see her tattered fins in the photos). He has now begun tormenting every other fish in the tank, even those much bigger than he. When I temporarily removed him, the female took up where he left off; especially targeting the Labidochromis caeruleus. I plan on removing these two rogues, but I was wondering if these really are Iodotropheus sprengerae, or if I have a couple of impostors in my tank.
Tank parameters:
50 gallon breeder
pH: 8.0 - 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
kH: 9 dH
gH: 13 dH
Weekly water change: 40%
Filtration: Eheim 2213 Classic; Aquaclear 70
Lots of rockwork and live plants (Hornwort, Anubias, Rotala rotundifolia, Vallisneria), so there are lots of hiding places.
Tankmates: Labidochromis caeruleus (1M/3F) and Pseudotropheus acei (1M/3F).
Thanks so much! Carla
< The fish in the photos is neither a rusty or a yellow lab. I suspect they were trade-ins. They look like a cross. This is very common in mixed species tanks where fish are allowed to bred with dominant fish in the tank.-Chuck>

Re: Cichlid Identification
Malawi Cichlid Cross 11/8/09
Thanks very much, Chuck, I suppose that explains the unpredictable behaviour. It's all very strange; my LFS supposedly ordered them in for me as Rusty Cichlids (Iodotropheus sprengerae), which I specifically wanted for my tank to *avoid* hybridization (since they are the only species in that genus and unable to hybridize with other Cichlids). I will show this e-mail to my LFS and try to return them (even though several months have passed), and perhaps peace will reign in my tank at last. I suppose this is a prime example of why hybrids are so detrimental to the hobby!
Thanks again, Carla
< Don't use the genus name on a cichlid to determine its potential to cross. The names given to cichlids usually have nothing to do with their DNA but are named due to physical differences like in their teeth. Many different Malawi cichlid genera are quite capable of crossing in artificial conditions like an aquarium.-Chuck>

Malawi Cichlid ID 8/13/2009
Hi, I recently purchase 2 new cichlids to put into my tank. I was curious as to whether you could tell me what species it is. I attached a photo
Thank you, Mike Shatswell
< You have a Melanochromis johanni male.-Chuck>

id of cichlid 8/3/09
Malawi Cichlid ID's
I was trying to ID this cichlid of mine.
The other head in pic I believe is a bumble bee cichlid
Thanks Dave
< The head shot is a Pseudotropheus crabro, commonly called the Bumble Bee cichlid due to its immature and female coloration resembling a bumble bee. The larger yellow cichlid is a male Pseudotropheus lombardoi or commonly called Kenyi in the hobby. Females and young ones are a light blue color.-Chuck>

Red Top Cobalt ID -- 7/18/09
Dear Crew Member,
I'm having a "moment," somewhat like an argument with myself. After so much confusion and finding I can provide no clear answer, I turn to my friends at WWW. This issue will also serve as a classic example why taxonomic nomenclature should be used exclusively when referring to living organisms.
I recently got back to keeping Malawian Cichlids (already have two reef tanks). I purchased two individuals a few days ago tagged as Mbunas commonly referred to as Red Top Cobalt Zebras, formerly Pseudotropheus zebra, now reclassified as Metriaclima sp. Fine...my problem deals with the "sp." In the genus Metriaclima I find several species that could possibly match the fish I purchased. There is Metriaclima callainos, sometimes commonly called the Cobalt Zebra, but without the red-orange dorsal. However, M. pyrsonotos
is referred to as a Red Top Zebra and is a visual match, red-orange dorsal and all. However, since these have been identified as two distinct species I must assume that the "Red Top" is not just a variant of the Cobalt, correct? Then, I also find an individual described taxonomically as M. emmiltos and commonly called a Red Top Zebra, although this designation was somewhat harder to uncover. Pictures I find of this species also match my specimen. To confuse matters further, I also have one individual commonly referred to as an Albino Red Top Cobalt Zebra, also purchased as Metriaclima
sp. (I'll send along helpful pix once I find the camera to PC cable.
My questions are these:
1) Can a Red Top Cobalt Zebra be matched to M. callainos, M. pyrsonotos, M. emmiltos, or some other scientific name?
< You have a Metraclima pyrsonotus.>
2) Does the red-orange finnage alone comprise enough of a physiological difference to demand a separate species classification?
< Not usually. Morphological differences in teeth and mouth structure are the usual indicators of different species.>
3) Would the albino simply be a variant of one of these or is it a separate and distinctly classified species? Or, what is it?
< Albinism is simply the genetic lack of pigment and can possibly be found in any species.>
As always, thanks for your dedication and support. Regards, from
David Bell
< Thank you for your kind words.-Chuck>

Cichlid question
Cichlid ID 5-7-09
I am very sorry to disturb you, I have had a particular cichlid about 3 inches whose name I cannot find..
I've tried google, yahoo and even aquahobby.com but I'm still unsuccessful in finding the name of this African Cichlid...
Can you please identify and give me information on the cichlid?
Thank you for your co-operation..
< Looks like a Placidochromis miloto or more commonly called a VC-10. It is either a young male or a female. It may turn blue if it is a male. In the wild they get big lips. In the aquarium this doesn't happen too often.-Chuck>

Cichlid ID & tank (Chuck, cichlid ID?) 4/7/09
Neale, it's me again!
<Hello Summer,>
I've been researching the Pseudotropheus demasoni, and I love the look of this dwarf cichlid. I've read a few online recommendations that they should be kept in a minimum of 6 or 12. What's your view on the minimum number I should add to my tank?
<Does rather depend on the size of the tank. But assuming a reasonable amount of space, like all Mbuna, colonies are the ideal. Strictly speaking, you want at least one male per 2-3 females, since the males are primarily aggressive to one another, whereas the females are basically peaceful.>
Also, I said I have yellow-tail acei, but when I was in Aquatic Design Centre yesterday, I saw their labels and now am not sure what my fish are!
<I must confess to occasionally having seen mislabeled and hybrid fish in this store, so be careful.>
I've attached a photo. Can you please let me know what type of fish I have?
<Could be a rather dull-coloured Pseudotropheus acei, but could equally easily be some sort of hybrid. For African cichlids, the best place in London is probably Wildwoods out in Enfield (Zone 6, Crews Hill train
station).>
Muchas Gracias,
Summer
<Do remember you can't mix different Pseudotropheus in one tank safely:
they will certainly fight and usually hybridise. Despite their wide availability, I consistently recommend people against buying Pseudotropheus, at least initially. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Cichlid ID & tank
Malawi Cichlid ID and Questions... Chuck's bit 4/9/09
Neale, it's me again! I've been researching the Pseudotropheus demasoni, and I love the look of this dwarf cichlid. I've read a few online recommendations that they should be kept in a minimum of 6 or 12. What's your view on the minimum number I should add to my tank?
<This little cichlid carries a big stick. For its size it is very aggressive and a group of at least 6 is recommended. Assuming a 50/50 sex ratio, this will leave you with 3 females and 3 males. One dominant male will chase or kill the other males if they are not removed. This will leave you with one dominant male and three females. The harem will keep the male from continually chasing a single female and will spread the aggression out among the others. More will give you a good chance of successful breeding.>
Also, I said I have yellow-tail acei, but when I was in Aquatic Design Centre yesterday, I saw their labels and now am not sure what my fish are!
I've attached a photo. Can you please let me know what type of fish I have?
< It could be an acei. This is one of the least aggressive of the Mbuna types so they don't always color up to their best potential while being dominated by other more aggressive cichlids.-Chuck>
Muchas Gracias, Summer

Re: Cichlid ID & tank 4/9/09
<Chuck, any idea what the fish in this photo might be? I suggested possibly a poor quality Ps. acei, but just as likely a hybrid. Can you do any better? Cheers, Neale.>
< Neale, I totally agree with your conclusion. When kept with other more aggressive cichlids they don't color up much. The Florida fish farmers rarely select for color. My guess would be a poor quality acei in a tank where he is not the dominant fish in the tank. Since it sounds like he just got him it is unlikely the fish is going to show any color for awhile.-Chuck>
<Thank you for this Chuck. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Cichlid ID & tank
Ps. DeMasoni Questions 4/11/2009
Chuck, thanks for your follow up information! So if I add 6 Pseudotropheus demasoni (which I keep calling demon-osi for some reason, maybe because I have Satan), and assuming a 50/50 male to female ratio, I could expect two male deaths?
< Ps. demasoni is actually named after a Friend of mine, Laif DeMason, owner of Cichlid News magazine and Old World Exotic Fish farm. The dominant male will pick and chase the other males. They can soon be found with torn fins and can be removed before there is any more bloodshed.>
Oh how sad that would be. I've read that it's difficult to sex them. Do you think I could determine sexes, and identify the dominant male in hopes of returning the other two males to the LFS?
< Males are darker than the females. Their black bars are wider and they can get slightly larger than the females.-Chuck>>
The 'possible' acei cichlids in my tank are the most peaceful, even more so than the Yellow Labs.
Neale, my garden and vegetables are growing like crazy! I attribute their proliferation to my aquarium "super juice". My neighbour agrees and thanks me for a constant supply. Kind regards,
Summer

Need help identifying cichlid 11/23/08
Hi, I was wondering if you guys could help me identify this Cichlid.
Sorry for the bad photo quality, as I was only using my cell phone to take the picture.
I'll do my best to describe the fish to you though;
It's body is mostly a somewhat dull yellow, with thick, dark black stripes on it, and black covering most of it's head.
It's head also has a slight bluish color around the black on it's face.
The fin's all have dark black stripes on the tops of them, with yellow in between.
I know it's from Lake Malawi, but I can't remember the actual name of the
fish, since the guy at the retailer was telling me so many Latin names, I had a hard time keeping up.
I hope this description is enough for you to help me identify the fish.
Best Regards,
Patrick
<Mmm, might be a male Pseudotropheus saulosi... the yellow though... perhaps this is a (all too common) hybrid Mbuna. Bob Fenner>

Need help identifying cichlid 10/23/08
Cichlid ID From Lake Malawi
Hi, I was wondering if you guys could help me identify this Cichlid.
Sorry for the bad photo quality, as I was only using my cell phone to take the picture.
I'll do my best to describe the fish to you though;
It's body is mostly a somewhat dull yellow, with thick, dark black stripes on it, and black covering most of it's head.
It's head also has a slight bluish color around the black on it's face.
The fin's all have dark black stripes on the tops of them, with yellow in between.
I know it's from Lake Malawi, but I can't remember the actual name of the fish, since the guy at the retailer was telling me so many Latin names, I had a hard time keeping up. I hope this description is enough for you to help me identify the fish.
Best Regards, Patrick
< Do a Goggle image search on Pseudotropheus flavus and see if the images match you fish.-Chuck>

Re: Need help identifying cichlid 11/25/08
Cichlid ID From Lake Malawi II
Thanks a lot, I'm not 100% sure that's what my fish is, but that is definitely the closest I've seen to what my fish looks like. Although Mine has a little more black in it, and the yellow isn't quite as prominent, from the looks of it, that's probably the breed of fish I have.
Thanks for the help,
Patrick
< The amount of black can be quite variable from fish to fish. The yellow coloration can be enhanced with diet, water quality and lighting. Glad we could help out.-Chuck>

What kind of Cichlid is this? -- 10/02/08 Cichlid ID Greetings (pass my hello on to Neale if he's around) I was wondering what kind of cichlid I have. Attached is a photo. If this picture is not good enough, I will try to take another. Thank you! Skye < The cichlid in the photo you provided is definitely from Lake Malawi. It is called an Mbuna by the locals for all rock dwelling cichlids from that lake. It looks like it could be in the genus Pseudotropheus/Metriaclima. But looking at the large mouth makes me think it could be Petrotilapia. The later gets pretty big and gets very aggressive. With a better picture I might be able to further define the species.-Chuck>

Re: What kind of Cichlid is this? 10/2/08
Cichlid ID II, With Much Better Picture
Thanks. Attached is another picture of him (I'm assuming it's a him - I have no idea how to tell gender on this type of fish yet). He is about 5" long and around two years old. I rescued him from a friends tank, as a more dominant fish was picking on this beautiful one. His color has become more vibrant in the two weeks I've had him. Not much else is know about him. My friend thinks this fish is a "mutt/Heinz 57" variety. Your thoughts with this new picture?
< The new picture is much better. You have what is commonly called a Cobalt Blue, Metraclima callainos. Probably the original founder stock came from Nkhata Bay.-Chuck>

Hello, I was wondering if you could identify this fish... This fish was sold to me at PetSmart as a "yellow lab". -- 7/30/08 <It isn't.> When these fish were small, I thought I was getting two female yellow Labidochromis caeruleus, but the two have spawned. <Oh dear.> I thought yellow labs only came with black stripes on the top fin, and this fish appears to be yellow-orange. I have not seen these fish on any other website, so I was wondering if you could help me identify it. <These are some sort of Maylandia, perhaps Maylandia estherae or an orange form of Maylandia zebra... or for that matter some sort of hybrid. One should never, ever by Mbuna that aren't clearly identified.> Thank you so much for your help. They also have produced a few offspring with black stripes along the top fin. <Mbuna hybridise very readily unless you take care to keep species that won't hybridise (e.g., by choosing species from different genera, i.e., one species of Labidochromis, one species of Iodotropheus, and so on). Please please please do not give away or sell fry you suspect may be hybrids -- this is a blight on the hobby and one of the most irresponsible things any aquarist can do. The problem is hybrid fish are by their nature unpredictable in terms of behaviour, size and colouration, making it impossible to create a tank with sensible, carefully considered choices of species. If you have excess fish, please destroy them painlessly (see the Euthanasia FAQ here at WWM for tips). Cheers, Neale.>

Hello, I was wondering if you could identify this fish... 7/30/08 Cichlid ID This fish was sold to me at PetSmart as a "yellow lab". When these fish were small, I thought I was getting two female yellow Labidochromis caeruleus, but the two have spawned. I thought yellow labs only came with black stripes on the top fin, and this fish appears to be yellow-orange. I have not seen these fish on any other website, so I was wondering if you could help me identify it. Thank you so much for your help. They also have produced a few offspring with black stripes along the top fin. <The is a Pseudotropheus species of some sort. It could be a cross between a couple different species. Because of the color I believe it is some sort of cross developed in Asia and is not a true species found in the wild. These cichlids are capable of crossing with almost any other Mbuna type from Lake Malawi. This makes them excellent candidates for making "designer cichlids".-Chuck>

About that Maylandia...I do believe Neale is correct! 8/1/08 Hello there! I just thought I would add this little note. <Hello again Nicole!> I was up reading the FAQs early this morn after having missed a few days, and I saw Neale's answer to the query about the fish that was sold to someone, mistakenly, as a yellow lab. <Yep, I think we're agreed on this!> I found this article: http://www.gcca.net/fom/Maylandia_estherae.htm And do believe that the picture on it shows a fish that looks spot on like the picture provided. <Certainly my gut feeling. But the problem is that there are so many hybrids that unless you buy from a reputable retailer, you don't always know what you're getting.> I just thought I would add that I have a brood of African cichlids that crossed (a yellow Labidochromis caeruleus and a blue Pseudotropheus socolofi) and, except for the deep orange, this fish looks very similar to mine. <Not encountered this hybrid. Thanks for the heads-up.> So it could possibly be a mix of a yellow lab and a blue Pseudotropheus, but the Maylandia seems much more likely. <I would tend to agree.> I had never heard of this fish before...thanks for introducing this species to me, Neale! <It's a nice fish.> Rest assured my fish are never being given away or traded in, I am embarrassed enough that I allowed this to happen when I was less experienced. <We all make mistakes like this. The problem is that so many people don't care anymore, and the market is flooded with hybrids. That's undermined the Malawi cichlid hobby. When you think about Malawi cichlids, they include some of the most amazing fish with the brightest colours -- even compared with marine fish! That's why I get sad when I see hybrids -- I know that lots of aquarists are going to end up with muddy-coloured, unpredictable fish and wonder why people like me enthuse about Mbuna.> Take care, and have a lovely weekend. Nicole <Likewise Nicole and thanks for writing. Cheers, Neale.>

Red Zebra and a Kenyi I think... Af. cichlid ID... 5/17/08 Hello all at WWM... I hope all is well for you today... <Thank you> I once wrote in about Jewel cichlids and for a quick update on them, all is well... I have a bunch of babies swimming around eating flake food and seeming happy and the momma just laid a bunch of eggs again. I don't guess I lowered the water temp. enough :) but oh well I will take care of it lol... Since I spoke to u last, I had 2 unknown cichlids die in my 55 gallon tank. I set up my little 10 gallon tank for a hospital tank and tried to survive the 2 with no luck... I suspected aggression since the other fish seemed fine. That left my 55 almost empty, it had and still has a large Electric Yellow, and a Nimbochromis ( the giraffe looking one) I don't think the 2 are really supposed to be good tank mates, but all seem well with them right now. Here's the problem... I purchased 2 new "African Cichlids" at Wal-Mart, well that's all that they list them as here and I get to play detective to see what I have when I get them home... I think I have correctly identified the first as a Red Zebra and the other as the Kenyi. <Or, too likely, crosses...> The Kenyi is really pretty golden yellow with a hint of pinkish purple on its back area with its black stripes. I love this fish and he's extremely active...The Red Zebra fish is fairly active but I since I got him I have noticed him beginning to bounce off the tank decor. Water chemistry is set up as hard/alkaline water and the nitrates, nitrite and ammonia are all good... 10, 0,and 0 ... I may have that backwards since I am not looking at my cards... The Zebra is also showing signs of red gills... I moved him to hospital tank and gave him a parasite treatment. Gills still red. He eats well and seems active still but he kind of swims a bit funny at times, kind of like he's gonna turn and go back the other way and then whips back around and stays on same path he was traveling... Don't know much about this...any advice? Fish has no spots or visual anything to help with diagnosis, but I definitely don't think all is well with him for some reason. Also when I purchase new fish (if I ever do again, since I have so many Jewel babies) how long do u suggest that I keep new fish from old fish before risking infecting my whole tank. <Posted... a good two-three weeks is about right> And if you recommend I treat this Red Zebra again should I go ahead and treat the whole 55 gallon tank even though they seem fine at this point? Any thing u can tell me is greatly appreciated about this and any pointers on the Kenyi will also be welcomed! <Read on WWM... African Cichlids, Disease...> OH and one last question, how long until my Jewel babies begin to get any color? <A few weeks to a couple of months> Just curious about that, not drastically important. I would really like to know what color they are gonna be, so I can pick which ones will become feeder fish... I know sounds terrible but I am over flowing in babies and running outta homes for them...Have a great day and many thanks for such a great site! ~ JerrieSue ~ <Keep reading JS... you'll do fine. Bob Fenner>

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